Isabel the Jewel

Isabel Lake (click image for detail)

Over the years I have fished countless alpine lakes with varying degrees of success. There is one however, that remains as my “precious” which sparkles like a hidden jewel in the Cascade Mountains. Isabel is an elusive lake that lies at the edge of the Ragged Ridge roadless area just east of Gold Bar, Washington. It is not easy to get to, but fly fishers with scrambling skills who persevere will find much to satisfy them on this extremely challenging climb. Route finding skills are essential. There are good reasons the hike is not described in many guidebooks. The upper trail is rough, and getting to the lake involves a scramble. The trail has many unmarked junctions that may baffle even the most experienced route finders. But for those of you who have the time, energy and determination to meet the challenge, the rewards are many.

There are many open mines and abandoned mining equipment that remain near the elusive trail, evidencing an era that was both prosperous and difficult. I have been told that there were about 8,000 people mining in the mountains and hills surrounding Isabel Lake at the turn of the century.

It would take more space than allowed just to describe the complete hike, so suffice to say contact Swede at his shop for details.

The fishing is like no other alpine lake I have experienced. After root climbing a 300’ trail next to the Cascade waterfalls, my first view of the lake was breathtaking. I sat down on some downed trees on the shoreline and watched in amazement rainbow trout emerge from the depths the size of sockeye salmon, cruise the shallows in search for damselfly nymphs and adults. They were completely unaware of my presence as they exploded on unsuspecting emergers! Needless to say, it didn’t take me long to get my pickled herring in a row and enjoyed one of the best afternoons in dry fly action that I have ever experienced. If you have never experienced dry fly damsel fly fishing, then you owe yourself a treat! The take is explosive and aggressive leaving no room to doubt if you need to set the hook. You’d be doing very well just to keep the fly!

And if you’re bored with sockeye-sized rainbows, then pack up your float tube with you, for down in the depths, which is close to 200 feet deep, looms the giant Mackinaw trout. My good friend David, who has fished this lake for years, told me of hooking some of these brutes using a streamer fly he ties on stainless steel hooks. He says ‘You gotta throw them a meal!” This was sculpin/marabou/deer hair/muddler style pattern that should have been in some fly box destined for the South Seas, and you need to fish them deep; very deep; really deep. He showed me one of his streamers from a previous trip that he lost a Mack on. The bend of the stainless steel hook had been straightened out to where it could no longer hold the fish! My size 12 wooly bugger seemed very distant at that time. I wondered if I could tie on the whole chicken to some tuna hook somewhere.

And if you are really adventurous, then take the short hike to the east where Dollar Lakes drain into Isabel Lake, and try for some of the beautiful rainbows that reside there. Worth the hike and effort.

There are many stories and legends that come from Isabel, as many have experienced the adventure, not all being fly fishers. But as a feather flinger I can add to those stories because I have experienced that true jewel of the mountains. Would I go again? When are we leaving?